Curated OER
Chunks, Chunks, And More Chunks!
Students summarize a selected piece of text nonfiction text. After reviewing the process for summarizing, students read a nonfiction article, highlighting important information as they read. They write a summary paragraph using the five...
Curated OER
Connotation and Denotation: How Word Choice Affects a Paragraph
Review the terms denotation, connotation, diction, and mood in paragraph writing. After defining the terms, middle schoolers practice writing examples of both connotation and denotation. They complete a connotation and denotation...
Curated OER
Information from Posters
Budding journalists examine and evaluate an informative poster advertising a public meeting to discuss city park issues. They write a paragraph explaining what they found to be effective and ineffective about the poster, then imagine...
EngageNY
Building Background Knowledge and Summarizing: “Refugees: Who, Where, Why” Part 2
What are some universal aspects of refugees' experiences worldwide and throughout history? Scholars read the text "Refugees: Who, Where, Why" and create two class anchor charts. Finally, they each write a paragraph that provides an...
National Sailing Hall of Fame
Sailboat Design Requirements
Sailboat design requires more than a half-circle and triangle sketch. After viewing a slideshow presentation that outlines the requirements for sailboat design, learners draw a design, perform the needed...
Curated OER
Rockin' Map Summaries
Students summarize a piece of text. After reviewing the correct way to read and summarize, students work in groups to summarize a piece of text assigned by the instructor. They write a summary paragraph by creating a story map and the...
Curated OER
Sharing the Joy of a Garden
Students examine a gardening book. In this philanthropy lesson, students read a trade book, The Gardener, to learn about gardening. They discuss how this book's characters are philanthropic and write a summary paragraph in their journals.
Curated OER
How to Write a Summary of a Book
Students explore ways to write book summaries. For this summary writing lesson, students discover the steps for writing summaries of fictional books.
Curated OER
Writing: Stay High and Dry
Students write an effective conclusion for their essay. In this conclusion lesson students restate the thesis of their paper and summarize three important points. Students then write a final statement to wrap up their...
Curated OER
Super Summaries
Third graders summarize a piece of nonfiction text. After reviewing the correct way to read in order to summarize, 3rd graders independently read a nonfiction article. They write a summary paragraph using the questions outlined by the...
Curated OER
Space Food
What do astronauts eat in outer space? Kids can read an informational passage to learn about space food. The passage includes prompts that have learners identify the main idea and key details, then write a paragraph summarizing the text....
Fort Bend Independent School District
Data Analysis - AP Statistics
What better way to study survey design than to design your own survey! Bring a versatile data analysis project to your AP Statistics class, and encourage them to apply the practices from their instructions to a real-world survey...
Curated OER
Harvesting Energy from Food: How do Plants Help Humans?
Beginning botanists view slides of plant vascular tissue. They watch Magic School Bus Gets Planted, which you can find online, and then write a summary of what they have learned about plants. This lesson could be used with upper...
Columbus City Schools
It's the Heat and the Pressure?
Ready for a change? Give a comprehensive collection of metamorphic materials a try! With the assortment of printables and lab activities, you won't be under pressure to keep things lively. The unit culminates by having...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Teaching the 9/11 Anniversary
Here is a lesson plan on terrorism and 9/11. While outdated, it could be easily revised for today's teens. It includes targeted vocabulary, a background information activity, critical thinking questions, and step-by-step procedures for...
Curated OER
Writing Police Reports: Emergency!
Students practice writing emergency reports. In this emergency reports lesson, students participate in a visit from a police officer or emergency technician. Students then write a historical report based on the fictional account the...
Curated OER
Writing a Weather Report or Weather Forecast
Middle schoolers examine their geography skills. In this weather forecasting lesson, students select a location and research it. Middle schoolers write a weather report or forecast for the chosen location based on their research.
Curated OER
Transition Words in Writing
Transition words in writing are the focus of the language arts lesson presented here. In it, learners cut out the word-sort cards (embedded in the plan), and put them into four categories: time, examples, space, and summary. They find a...
Oakland Unified School District
Class Animal Report
Whether preparing your second graders for an expository writing proficiency assessment or just planning on introducing the writing process, this 37-page packet is for you. The unit has everything you need from scripted lessons to...
Curated OER
Great Basin Tribes- Use of Land for Sustenance
Students explore four Native American tribes from Nevada. In this Native American history lesson plan, students identify and generate important corresponding attributes of the Southern Paiute, Northern Paiute, Washoe, and Western...
Curated OER
Story Pyramid and Summary
Students read a short selection of a story individually or as a class. On their own, they create a story pyramid for the selection and write a one page summary. They use text from the story for their supporting details. To end the...
Curated OER
Understanding Connotation
Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address," which is available online, is used in the language lesson plan presented here. Middle schoolers read through the text for comprehension. Then, they reread the first paragraph and identify all the words...
Curated OER
Using Color as a Pre-Writing Tool
To better understand how to compose a clear and well-organized paper, learners read short passages, write summaries, and make colored graphic organizers. This is a fully developed three-day lesson with suggested assessments.
Curated OER
Ivan the Fool: Lesson 1
Students read and analyze a classic Eastern European folktale. In partners, they read the story, take notes, define vocabulary terms, and write a summary of the folktale.